Patentable/Patents/US-9645276
US-9645276

Apparatus and methods for making azimuthal resistivity measurements

PublishedMay 9, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A resistivity measuring tool used in a drillstring having a drill bit on a distal end for drilling a wellbore in a formation includes a tool body having a longitudinal axis, a sensor configured to measure the angular position of the tool body relative to the wellbore, at least one axial antenna including a wire winding for generating an axial magnetic moment parallel with the longitudinal axis, and at least one transverse antenna. The transverse antenna includes an antenna body disposed within a pocket extending radially inward from an outer surface of the tool body and one or more turns of wire wound around the antenna body, the wire winding generating a transverse magnetic moment orthogonal to the longitudinal axis.

Patent Claims
5 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A method of making resistivity measurements of a formation from a wellbore being drilled, the method comprising: providing a resistivity measuring tool comprising: a tool body having a sensor configured to measure the angular position of the tool body relative to the wellbore, a first axial transmitting antenna including a wire winding symmetric about a longitudinal axis of the tool body for generating an axial magnetic moment, a second axial transmitting antenna including a wire winding symmetric about a longitudinal axis of the tool body for generating an axial magnetic moment, and transverse antenna disposed including a wire winding for generating a transverse magnetic moment and located longitudinally between the first and second axial transmitting antennas; simultaneously transmitting electromagnetic energy into the formation from the first and second axial antennas, thereby inducing a voltage signal related to a formation parameter in the wire winding of the transverse antenna; combining and processing the signals generated due to the first and second axial transmitting antennas to (i) reduce or remove a formation resistivity anisotropy effect and thereby enhance a bed boundary effect, or (ii) reduce or remove the bed boundary effect and thereby enhance the formation resistivity anisotropy effect; measuring an angular position of the tool body relative to the wellbore with the sensor; and correlating the formation parameter with the measured angular position of the tool body.

2

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising driving currents to the first and second axial antennas for generating axial magnetic moments in opposite directions, thereby inducing a voltage signal in the wire winding of the transverse antenna related to a parameter of an adjacent bed boundary.

3

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising driving currents to the first and second axial antennas for generating axial magnetic moments in the same direction, thereby inducing a voltage signal in the wire winding of the transverse antenna related to a parameter of formation resistivity anisotropy.

4

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: partitioning a circumference of the tool body into M number of sectors; defining each data point of the resistivity information by a fidelity function g(Φ); assigning to each data point a weight for each of the M number of sectors, wherein the weight is associated with an integral of the fidelity function g(Φ) over the sector; and computing an average of the data points weighted by their respective weights for each of the M sectors.

5

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing multiple transverse antennas disposed proximate to the outer surface of the tool body and azimuthally-spaced around a circumference of the tool body.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

January 12, 2016

Publication Date

May 9, 2017

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Cite as: Patentable. “Apparatus and methods for making azimuthal resistivity measurements” (US-9645276). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9645276

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